


Home and Dry

by Toricchi



Category: Dragon Kishi-dan (Dragon Knights)
Genre: Ficlet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-11-16
Updated: 2006-11-16
Packaged: 2017-10-05 23:50:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toricchi/pseuds/Toricchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The seasons turn, and Kai-stern goes on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home and Dry

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the daily15 prompt 'leaves.' Title from the Trembling Blue Stars song.

It was easy to say goodbye in spring. Darkness and trouble seemed far away during the long, sunlit days when Draqueen bloomed and flourished in the first flush of summer warmth. Kai-stern departed on a high, the entire castle wishing him luck and pressing gifts into his hands as he waved and smiled and laughed, his bag light on his shoulder.

 

Summer came and he was all but forgotten in the merrymaking it brought. Perhaps the parties, festivals and carnivals, banquets and balls missed his wit and easy charm, but with the best and brightest of Dusis all turning out for the summer court, the gap was noticed only by a few: a boy and his dog bereft of their favourite playmate.

 

The chill breeze heralded the arrival of autumn. Grumbling, the people of the castle packed away their fine clothes, bemoaning the extra work made by the trees shedding their gaily-coloured leaves for autumn drab. It was during the preparations for what promised to be a harsh winter that minds turned to their ambassador abroad and worry began to creep into the edges of conversation, for he should have returned ere the leaves turned red. Letters were written but never found their destination as the country began to close itself up in little pockets to weather the storm.

 

The first snow was beginning to fall when the lonely figure trudged up the winding path to the castle, a little paler, a little thinner than he had been in spring. The weather could have been the same for all it mattered to the person who had missed him the most; Rath running out uncaring into the snow barefoot and in his pajamas to throw himself joyfully into Kai-stern's arms.


End file.
